International non-exchange students: Admission to Nantes Université

Label CF Every year, Nantes Universite welcomes thousands of international students. Welcoming and integrating our incoming students is one of our top priorities. For more than twenty years, our Guichet Unique scheme has enabled us to offer them a privileged moment of exchange and personalised support from the moment they arrive.

In recognition of the quality of this welcome, Nantes Université was awarded the Bienvenue en France- 3 stars Label, the highest level of distinction, in 2019, and this label was renewed in July 2025, confirming our continued commitment to international students. 

 

The procedures apply to students who have never been enrolled in French higher education (Licence's - Master's).

The Europe and International Office offers individual in-person meetings to advise and assist you with your study resumption project.

We invite you to make an appointment HERE.

72 countries are covered by the “Etudes en France” procedure to apply for higher education in France: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Benin, Burma, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, South Korea, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, United Kingdom, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Singapore, Taiwan, Chad, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam.

Complete your electronic application only through the Etudes en France platform.
 
PLEASE NOTE: No documents must be sent by postal mail.
 
A Campus France advisor is at your disposal to answer all your questions regarding your application, especially about the process or orientation to choose according to the study program.

Licence 1, BUT : APPLICATION: FROM OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 15, 2025

Licence 2, Licence 3, Master 1 and Master 2: APPLICATION FROM OCTOBER 1 TO JANUARY 31, 2026. Please note: the application deadline may vary depending on the calendar of the embassies or Campus France offices.

You are a foreign national and you live in a country which is not covered by the Etudes en France procedure – Outside the European Economic Area (EEA) + Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra procedure, or in the European Economic Area (EEA) or in France.
  • Licence 1: Complete a pre-admission application (DAP) file APPLICATION: FROM OCTOBER 1 TO  DECEMBER 15 2025
The application file must be sent in ONE UNIQUE PDF FILE, exclusively by e-mail, before December 15, 2025 to: dap@univ-nantes.fr

For Applicants currently living abroad: if your country is not opened to the CEF procedure, you must use the paper form "white file", to be downloaded from the website of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. The complete application file, accompanied by a CV, must be deposited at the cultural center of the French embassy in your country of residence.

Incomplete files and/or files submitted after the deadline will not be examined.

Attention: the following courses are closed to applications (Licence 1): Health, Psychology, LEA and STAPS (Sport).
  • BUT : You are an European or French student holding a foreign degree and you want to apply for the first year of bachelor’s degree or university bachelor of technology (BUT), you must apply via the Parcoursup platform, following the national calendar.
  • Licence 2, Licence 3 and Master 2 : you must apply via the SURF platform - Admission procedure without access to Nantes University.
  APPLICATION FROM 1 OCTOBER, 2025 TO JANUARY 31, 2026
 

We invite you to log in on the SURF platform, create your account, choose the training course and level you want to apply for. If the training course does not appear in the list of possible choices, this means that the training course is closed to applications.

Complete the application file with all documents listed in this LIST. INCOMPLETE FILES WILL NOT BE EXAMINED.

Choice of degree: A full description of the different degrees offered by Nantes Université is available on the website. It is strongly recommended to consult this information before choosing a course.
  • Master 1: You are an European or French student holding a foreign degree and you want to apply for a Master 1, you must apply via the My Master platform. You can review the available academic offers for Master 1 degrees but also apply for the courses of your choice, following the national calendar.
  • Master 1: You are a non-European student residing in France, in a European country or in a country not connected to the Études en France procedure, and you want to apply for a Master 1, you must apply via the Mon Master platform. You can consult the offer of training in the first year of master’s degree but also apply for the courses of your choice, according to a unique national calendar.

  • Licence 1, BUT: You are an European or French student holding a foreign degree and you wish to apply in the first year of bachelor’s degree or university bachelor of technology (BUT), you must apply via the Parcoursup platform as part of the national calendar.
  • Licence 2, Licence 3: You are an European or French student holding a foreign degree and you want to apply for a licence 2, licence 3, you must contact the registration office of the relevant faculty.
  • Master 1: You are a European or French student holding a Bachelor’s degree and you want to apply for a Master 1, you must apply via the Mon Master platform (You can review the available academic offer for M1 degrees but also apply for the courses of your choice, following the national calendar).
    You are a European or French student holding a foreign degree and you want to apply for a Master 1, you must contact registration office of the relevant faculty.
  • Master 2: You are an European or French student holding a foreign degree and you want to apply for a Master 2, you must contact registration office of the relevant faculty.

Following the ministerial circular of December 11th 2023 related to the access to health studies in France, applicants for the Licence 2 level must submit their application to the Service de Coopération et d'Action Culturelle (SCAC) of the country in which they obtained their health degree.
 
Only SCAC can send applications to:

international.inscription-sante@univ-nantes.fr
 
Please read the instructions in the summary document HERE.

The file must include the following:
  • a description of the candidate’s training path (transcript, completed courses and any documents allowing the jury to assess the skills and knowledge acquired during the course);
  • the name of the establishment(s) where the training course was held;
  • the certified copy of the medical degree or diplomas, with an official translation if applicable, pharmacy, dentistry or medical care validated in a State other than a Member State of the European Union or another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, the Swiss Confederation or the Principality of Andorra, allowing them to practise in the country of issue;
  • an affidavit stating the number of previous applications submitted to a French university and, if applicable, the number of enrolments in the first year common to health studies, in the first year of undergraduate medical studies or in the first year of undergraduate pharmacy studies (1);
  • an affidavit stating that the applicant has not submitted in the same academic year an application for the same training at another university (2).
  • demonstrate a level of understanding of the French language : DALF or DELF B2 (with a minimum score of 65/100)
  • CV written in French
  • Motivation letter written in French
Download the certificate (1 and 2 in one certificate) HERE.

You benefit from an exemption procedure set up by Nantes Université.

Please contact the European and International Office to get access to the conditions and application file : international.inscription@univ-nantes.fr

Academic and linguistic prerequisites also apply to exemption files.

  • Bachelor’s degree 1, BUT: You are a non-European student holding a European diploma and you wish to apply for the first year of a bachelor’s or university bachelor’s degree in technology (BUT), you must apply via the Parcoursup procedure according to the national calendar framework.
  • Bachelor’s degree 2, Bachelor’s degree 3: You are a non-European student holding a European diploma and you wish to apply for a bachelor’s degree 2, bachelor’s degree 3, you must contact the school of the faculty concerned.
  • Master 1: You are a non-European student holding a European diploma and wish to apply for Master 1, you must then apply via the Mon Master platform. You will be able to view the first-year master’s training offer and submit your application for the courses of your choice, according to a single national calendar.
  • Master’s degree 2: You are a non-European student holding an European diploma and you wish to apply for a Master’s degree 2, you must contact the school of the faculty concerned.

  • have met the conditions for access to higher education in the country where the secondary school diploma was obtained;
  • have a 12/20 BAC average or be a secondary school-leaving certificate with a grade of 12/20 or higher; as well as in the subjects related to the training required;
  • demonstrate a level of understanding of the French language adapted to the training envisaged: except in exceptional cases, candidates must pass a paid language test, the TCF DAP;
  • minimum grades required for admission to Nantes University: TCF Level 4 (B2) and 14/20 on the written expression test. Minimum grades required for admission to Nantes University
  • Holders of the DALF or DELF B2 (with a minimum score of 65/100) are exempted from the TCF DAP.
  • Candidates who have passed the DUEF B2 at Nantes University are also exempt (with an minimum score of 14/20).

  • Students from French-speaking countries, as well as from multilingual countries where French is an official language, are also exempted (* provided they have completed all their secondary education in French-language institutions of the upper secondary level, as listed jointly by the Minister of National Education, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister responsible for Cooperation and Development).

    Countries where French is the sole official language:
    Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo–Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea–Conakry, Mali, Niger, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, and Togo.

    (*)Countries where French is not the sole official language:
    Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Madagascar, Mauritania (except Arabic-language programs), Rwanda, Seychelles, Switzerland, Chad, and Vanuatu : Exemption granted only to students who have completed the majority of their secondary education in a French-speaking institution.

    Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, and Tunisia have Arabic as their only official language. French there holds only a special status.

The academic level, the linguistic level and the consistency of the professional project are decisive criteria when the pedagogical commission examines your application.

Attention, the following courses are closed to applications (Licence 1) : Health, Psychology, LEA and STAPS (Sport).

ATTENTION: some courses impose additional criteria, such as a French level higher than the above-mentioned C1 or C2 and/or an English certification (B2). The specific criteria required can be found on the Etudes en France website under the heading “prerequisites” of the selected training.
For students not covered by the Etudes en France procedure, you can obtain more information from: international.inscription@univ-nantes.fr

Before your arrival in France and in order to prepare your stay, it is important to plan a budget and to know the approximate amount of your expenses.
Estimate your budget: plan to pay the registration fee and a monthly budget that includes housing, transportation, food, recreation and other expenses.

Here is an example of an indicative budget (depending on the level of your degree).


CROUS University residence accommodation (CROUS):

If you have a favourable answer within our institution, Nantes Université does not commit to housing you and you are responsible for finding accommodation before your arrival.
You can apply on the CROUS website, but places are limited.



Studapart If you are looking for private accommodation:
Nantes Université is a partner of Studapart
Studapart is a platform that allows you to rent accommodation from 1 to 24 months, with verified ads, offers and personalized support:
Studapart can guarantee for you and provide you with home insurance in 1 click after the booking. Other services are available with Sudapart.

To benefit from the advance announcement of accommodation thanks to the partnership Nantes Université/Studapart, on this page: https://univ-nantes.studapart.com/fr/ you will have to ask us for a code by writing to guichet.unique@univ-nantes.fr

In addition, we have written a guide of useful addresses to help you in your search for accommodation. To obtain it, please contact us at guichet.unique@univ-nantes.fr

To prepare your stay, don’t forget to bring:
enough cash in euros in case your credit/debit card doesn’t work immediately

Documents to bring:
  • Passeport Passport, long stay student Visa (D), and OFII form
  • Original copies of your diplomas
  • ID photos (35 x 45 mm) + some passport type photos
  • Proof of sufficient financial resources (financial assistance by a third party, own resources, or other - 615€/month minimum without benefit)
  • Legalized birth certificate or with an apostille and its translation made by a sworn translator. For further information, please see the procedure guide for birth certificate legalization.
  • European health insurance card (for European citizens only)
  • Health record booklet and vaccination records (if you have them)

When you arrive in Nantes, go to the Guichet Unique, at the Maison des échanges internationaux et de la francophonie (MEIF): 15, chaussée de la Madeleine 44000 Nantes - Tram stop.: "Hôtel Dieu".
The Guichet Unique is a reception service for international students which takes place twice a year: in September to welcome students for the first semester and the academic year, and in January to welcome students for the second semester. The Guichet Unique will provide you with all the information you need to settle in Nantes and help you with the formalities to get your stay off to a good start. The opening dates of the Guichet Unique will be communicated to you in due time. You can check them and make your appointment HERE.
In addition to the Guichet Unique, the MEIF remains open and welcomes any questions you may have.

MEIF opening times:
  • Closed to the public on Mondays
  • Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 9am - 12pm
  • Thursday: 13:30 - 16:00
  • Closed on public holidays

You can also send an email to:
And last but not least, the MEIF organises a regular series of events throughout the year to meet you and offer you a convivial moment.
Updated on 28 October 2025.